Treatment of textile materials



Patented Jan. 18, 1938 TREATMENT OF TEXTILE MATERIALS Harvey A. Schwartz, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to Industrial Rayon Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware No Drawing. Application March 8, 1934,

Serial No. 714,690

11 Claims.

This invention relates to the treatment of textile materials to alter the dyeing characteris tics of the same and, more particularly, to a method of securing cross-dyeing effects by com- 5 bining materials so treated with others which have not been treated and dyeing the fabric thus formed.

In the manufacture of cross-dyed fabrics, the warp threads may be of one material and the weft threads of another material, the two mateiials having different dyeing properties when the fabric is dyed. As a result, one set of threads comes out a lighter shade than the other and a cross-dyeing effect is secured. As examples of 15 materials used for thispurpose, there may be mentioned cellulose acetate yarn and viscose yarn, the mixed fabric giving a two-color effect due to the fact that the viscose yarn takes the dye more readily than the acetate yarn.

It has now been found that similar cross-dyeing effects may be obtained by the use of only one kind of thread in the fabric. The result may be secured by exposing a quantity of the thread to the effect of radiation containing actinic rays. 1:- The thread thus treated, when woven or knitted into a fabric with other untreated thread, will take a dye in a different manner from the untreated thread and produce effects similar to those achieved by the use of two quite different kinds of yarn.

It is, accordingly, an object of the invention to provide a method of treating textile materials to alter the dyeing qualities of the same. Another object of the invention is to provide a method of :35 treating artificial silk thread consisting essentially of regenerated cellulose by means of radiation containing actinic rays to modify its dyeing qualities. A further object of the invention is to provide a method of treating regenerated celluw lose thread with radiation containing actinic rays, incorporating this in fabric with untreated thread, and then dyeing the fabric to secure crossdyeing effects. Other objects of the invention will inpart be obvious and will in part appear 4.3 hereinafter.

The method of the invention may be carried out by subjecting thread, such as viscose, cuprammonium cellulose or nitro-cellulose thread, to the light from a carbon arc lamp, a mercury vapor lamp, or the like. All sides of the thread are exposed to the radiation and the treatment continued aslong as necessary to give the desired result. The time of exposure will, of course, vary according'to the power of the lamp used and the :35 distance therefrom at which the yarn is located.

The amount of treatment required can be readily determined for any set of operating conditions which may prevail. Preferably, the thread should be exposed in the untwisted condition in order to illuminate a greater thread area and, in practice, the thread may be caused to travel between a plurality of lights which irradiate all sides of it, the rate of travel of the thread through the zone of exposure being so chosen that the desired modification of the dyeing characteristics results.

Thread so treated, when woven or knitted into a fabric and compared with a control fabric made from untreated thread of the same nature, dyes a considerably lighter shade than the control.

The treated thread may be stored for a time until it is desired to work the same up into fabric or the irradiation may be effected and the thread then immediately woven or knitted into fabric and dyed. One practical application of the invention is in the making of cross-dyed fabrics, as mentioned above, in which the warp threads have previously been of one material and the weft threads of another material, the two materials having different dyeing properties. By means of the present invention, it is possible to secure these cross-dyeing effects by the use of one kind of thread, for example, viscose thread. The thread to comprise the warp threads is treated with radiation containing actinic rays, in accordance with the invention, and combined with otheruntreated thread used as the weft threads. The formed fabric is then dyed and, upon completion of this operation, it is found that the irradiated threads have been dyed a lighter shade than the untreated threads, thus giving a cross-dyeing effect.

The type of radiation may be varied but it is found preferable to include ultra-violet rays therein. The effect is probably superficial, affecting only the surface layer of the individual fibers or filaments but, whether or not the effect is more deep-seated than this, the fact remains that the dyeing characteristics of the treated material are changed. Direct dyes have shown a distinct contrast when applied to a fabric composed of treated and untreated threads, but acid and basis dyes may also be applied where crossdyeing is desired. 4

It is intended that the patent shall cover, by

suitable expression in the appended claims, what-' ever features of patentable novelty reside in the invention.

What I claim is:

1. A method of v securing cross-dyeing effects which comprises subjecting viscose thread to radiation containing actinic rays, meanwhile controlling the duration and intensity of said radiation so as to effect a modification in the dyeing properties of said thread, weaving or knitting said thread with viscose thread which lias not been so treated, and dyeing the fabric so formed.

2. A method of securing cross-dyeing efiects which comprises subjecting regenerated cellulose thread to radiation containing ultra-violet rays, meanwhile controlling the duration and intensity of said radiation so as to effect a modification in the dyeing properties of said thread, combining said thread in a fabric with thread which has not been so treated, and dyeing the fabric.

3. A method of securing cross-dyeing effects which comprises subjecting regenerated cellulose thread to radiation containing ultra-violet rays, meanwhile controlling the duration and intensity of said radiation so as to effect a modification in the dyeing properties of said thread, combining said thread in a fabric with regenerated cellulose thread which has not been so treated, and dyeing the fabric.

4. A method of manufacturing dyed regenerated cellulose comprising subjecting the rearoasoo and duration of said radiation so as to effect a modification of the dyeing properties Of the regenerated cellulose, and, after modification of the dyeing properties of the regenerated cellulose, dyeing the same.

6. A method of manufacturing dyed viscose thread comprising subjecting the viscose thread to radiation containing actinic rays, meanwhile controlling the intensity and duration of said radiation so as to effect a modification of the dyeing properties of the viscose thread, and thereafter dyeing the same.

7. Cross-dyed fabric embodying regenerated cellulose threads the dyeing properties of which have been modified by actinic radiation.

8. Cross-dyed fabric embodying threads of regenerated eellulose the dyeing properties of which have been modified by aetinic radiation and other threads the dyeing properties of which have not been modified.

9. Cross-dyed fabric embodying threads of re generated cellulose the dyeing properties of which have been modified by ultra-violet radiation and similar threads of regenerated cellulose the dye; ing properties of which have not been so modifiedv 10. Cross-dyed fabric embodying viscose threads the dyeing properties of which have been 

